On the origin of the names of places in Monroe County, New York

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PUBLICATIONS

OF THE

SCOTTSVILLE LITEEARY SOCIETY.

No. 5.

ON THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES

OF PLACES IN

MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

BY

FRANKLIN HANFORD.

SCOTTSVILLE, N. Y.

Isaac Van Hooser, Printer.

1911.

PUBLICATIONS

OF THE

SCOTTSVILLE LITEHAEY SOCIETY.

No. 5.

ON THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES

OF PLACES IN

MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK

BY

FRANKLIN HANFORD.

\ SCOTTSVILLE, N. Y.

Isaac Van Hooser, Printer.
1911.

J

^/z

Edition Limited to 200 Copies.

This copy is No...i.

'Cnr

A

iy

Juii J^ .,

PREFACK.

In the preparation of this paper I am under especial
obligations to Mr. Willis K. Gillette's Address before
the Rochester Historical Society on the evening of Jan-
uary 29, 1907, and to the United States Geological
Survey's Bulletin, No. 197, published by the govern-
ment in 1902 on " The Origin of Certain Place Names
in the United States," by Henry Gannett.

Among the w^orks consulted are the following: —

History of the Purchase and Settlement of Western
New York, by Rqx.]. H. Hotchkin.New York, 1848.

History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and
Gorham's Purchase, by O. Turner, Rochester, 1851.

.\ Geographical History of the State of New York, by
j. H. Mather and L. P. Brockett, M. D., Utica, 1853.

Gazetteer of the State of New York, by j. H. French,
Syracuse, N. Y., 1860.

Atlas of Monroe County, New York, published by
P. W. Beers & Co.. New York, 1872.

History of Monroe County, New York, Philadelphia,

1S77.

Indian names in New York, by W. M. Beauchamp,
Fayetteville, N. Y., 1893.

Landmarks of Monroe Count}', N. Y., b^- William. F.
Peck, and others, Boston, 1895.

Plat Book of Monroe County, N. Y., by J. M. Lath-
rop and Roger H. Pidgeon. Philadelphia; ( 1902. )

Wheatland, Monroe County, New York. A Brief
Sketeh of its History, by George E. Slocum, Seottsville,
N. Y., 1908.

1 am also indebted for information to many persons,
among whom are the following: — Mr. and Mrs. James
Austin, Supervisor A. Emerson Babeoek, Miss Florence
Beckwith, Judge Selden S. Brown, Supervisor Isaac
Budlong, Mrs. Jennie Church, Postmaster Minnie A.
Daily of Hilton, Supervisor Frank Dobson, John B.
Hamilton, Fred S. Hanford, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene E.
Harmon, Elmer R. Harmon. Supervisor Geo. A. Hicks,
Willard S. Hosmer, H. \Y. HtMvard, Postmaster Eliza
Love of Bealsburg, Mrs. R.T. Miller, Thomas Nagle,
Postmaster J. R. Nelson, Mrs. D. E. Rogers, William
H. Samson, William T. Stone, and the Editor of the
Rochester Herald's " Curiosity Shop."

I shall be greatly obliged if my attention is called to
any errors or omissions, and also for any additional
information which might be of use in connection with
this subject.

F. H.

ON THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES

OF PLACES IN

MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

A Paper read before the Scottsville Literary Society
November 1-t. 1910.

Probably few of the inhabitants of this County
and its towns and villages, ever think of the origin
and meaning of the names of the places in which
they live. The subject, however, is one of interest
and of historic value, and it is proposed, in this
paper, to discuss briefly the sources from which
most of the names of places in Monroe County,
New York, are derived.

The County of Monroe was named for James
Monroe, the fifth President of the United States,
who served for eight years as the Chief Executive
of this nation, from 1817 to 1825. It was during
his Presidency that this County was formed from
Ontario and Genesee Counties, Feb. 23, 1821.

The City of Rochester, which is the County
town of Monroe County, was settled in 1812, was
taken from the townships of Brighton and Gates,
and was incorporated as a village by the name of
Rochesterville, March 21,1817. Its name was
changed to Rochester, April 12, 1822, and it was
enlarged and incorporated as a city, April 28, 1834.
it derives its name from Colonel Nathaniel Roches-
ter, of Maryland, one of the three proprietors of the

Hundred Acre Tract ". Several of Colonel Roch-
ester's descendants are living in the city, and one
granddaughter, Miss Jane E. Rochester, bears the
family name.

TOWNS.

The Towns of Monroe County are nineteen in
number, and the origin of their names, as far as
can now be determined, is as follows:—

1. Brighton. This town was formed from the
town of " Boyle " which was afterwards called
" Smallwood, " March 25, 1814. Together with
some twenty-five other places in the U. S., it was
named, either directly or indirectly, from the Eng-
lish City and watering place in Sussex of the name
of Brighton.

2. Chili. The origin of the name of this town
is somewhat uncertain. It was formed from Riga,

Feb. 22, 1822. The first settlement was made by
Joseph Morgan, a Revolutionary Soldier, in 1 792,
and some of his descendants are living in the town
at this time. It is probable that the name was
taken from the Republic of Chile in South Amer-
ica. In English and American books and maps,
the name of Chile is often spelled Chili, and as so
spelled would be pronounced Chee-iee by the peo-
ple of that country. The probabilities are that
when the name was adopted, an easy way of pro-
nouncing it was also adopted, and hence we have
Chi-li. Strangers sometimes ask the way to " Chilly-
the town of Chilly," and it happens that the mean-
ing of the original indian ( Quichua ) word from
which the Republic of Chile gets its name, was
cold."

3. Clarkson. This tow^n was named for Gen-
eral Matthew Clarkson, a large land owner in pio-
neer times, who gave a hundred acres of land to
the town. It was formed from Murray, Orleans
County, April 2, 1819. Clarkson is the only town
in Monroe County v/hich has no railroad crossing
any part of it.

4- Gates. The name is in memory of General
Horatio Gates, a Revolutionary Soldier, born 1 728,
died 1806, who received the Surrender of General
Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777. This town, was
formed March 30, 1802, as Northampton, and

included a very large area. Its name was changed
to Gates on June 10, 1812. Parma and Riga were
taken from it in 1808 and Greece in 1822.

5. Greece. The town of Greece was formed
from Gates, March 22, 1822, There is little doubt
that it was so called from the European Country of
that name. In 1821 a revolution broke out in the
Kingdom of Greece and it was natural that the
sympathies of the people of this Country should be
w^ith the revolutionists, and, that attention being
thus drawn to them, our State legislature should
name a new township after the old mpnarchy.

6. Hamlin. On Oct. 11, 1852, this town was
formed from Clarkson, and was called Union until
February 28, 1861, when the name was changed to
Hamlin, in honor of Hannibal Hamlin who had
recently been elected Vice President of the United
States, and who, with Abraham Lincoln, was inau-
gurated only a few^ days later.

7. Henrietta. This town was formed from
Pittsford, March 27, 1818. It was called after Hen-
rietta Laura, Countess of Bath. She was a daughter
of Sir William Pulteney, an Englishman, who had
bought a large tract of the Phelps and Gorham's
purchase in Western New York, and whose prop-
erty was long known as " the Pulteney Estate."

8. Irondequoit. This name derives from
Irondequoit Bay which bounds the town on the

east. The town was taken from Brighton, March
27, 1839. The name is an Indian one, variously
spelled and variously interpreted; one translation
of the word is " v^here the waves gasp and die;"
another is " opening into the lake;" the best author-
ities give the meaning simply as " a bay.

9. Mendon. On May 26, 1812, this town was
organized and taken from the town of Bloomfield,
Ontario County. When Monroe County was organ-
ized in 1821, Mendon was transferred from Ontario
to'Monroe. The origin of the name is not clear.
There is a town in the province of Westphalia,
Prussia, called Menden. There is, in Massachu-
setts, a town in Worcester County, bearing the
name of Mendon, and this Massachusetts town de-
rives i,ts name from Mendham in England. The
probabilities are that settlers from Mendon, Massa-
chusetts, came to the Genesee Country and gave
the name of their old town to the new settlement.
Several of the early settlers in Mendon w^ere from
the old Bay State, and it is known that Josiah Fish,
one of the pioneers of Monroe County, vv^as born in
Mendon, Massachusetts.

10. Ogden. William Ogden, son-in-lawof John
Murray, one of the original proprietors of the town
of Parma, had the honor of having this town named
for him. Ogden was formed from Parma, "January

27, 1817.

10

11. Parma. The name is probably derived
from the Province and City of Parma in Italy.
None of the authorities consulted have given any
indication of the source of th:s name, but from the
frequent adoption of old world names for places in
the U. S., and especially in New York State, it is
reasonable to suppose that this one comes from
Italy. Parma was formed from Northampton (later
called Gates), April 8, 1808.

12. Penfield. This name comes from Daniel
Penfield, one of the early proprietors of land in the
township. He was Commissary in a New^ York
Rtigiment during the Revolutionary war. The
town of Penfield was formed from Boyle, Ontario
County, March 30, 1810, and was a part of On-
tario County until Monroe County was formed in
1821.

13. Perinton. This town was organized on
May 26, 1812, being taken from Boyle, Ontario
County, and continued to form a part of Ontario
County until 1821, when it was incorporated w^ith
Monroe. It was named for Glover Perrin, the first
permanent settler in the town. Perrin came in
1 789, the same year in which Peter Sheffer and
his two sons came to Wheatland.

14. Pittsford. On March 25, 1814, Pittslord
was formed from Smallw^ood, Ontario County, and

became a part of Monroe County in 1821. The
name was given by Colonel Caleb Hopkins who
had come, with others, to the town from Pittsford,
Vermont. Colonel Hopkins was then in the flush
of military honors won in the then existing war
with Great Britain; he was the most popular man
in the township, and was given the privilege of
naming the new subdivision for his former home in
Vermont.

15. Riga. None of the authorities consulted
have given the source of this name, but it is ex-
tremely probable that it came from the Russian
city and gulf of Riga. Some years ago the Literary
Society of Riga, Russia, wrote to the Postmaster
at Riga, N. Y., expressing an interest in the town
on account of its name, and making many inquiries
concerning it. Riga was formed from Northamp-
ton ( later called Gates), April 8, 1808. It was
first settled under James Wadsworth cf Geneseo, a
land agent, in 1805. Chili was taken from it in

1822.

16. Rush. This town was taken from Avon,
( Livingston County), March 13, 1818. It was first
setded in 1 799 by Major Wm. Markham and Ran-
som Smith from New Hampshire. Mr. Willis K. Gil-
lette, in a paper read before the Rochester Histor-
ical Society in 1907, says that Rush was probably

12

namedi for Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence, who died in
1813, and that has been the popular belief. In
Turner's History of the Phelps and Gorham's Pur-
chase, however, there are several pages of the
Reminiscences of Joseph Sibley, " w^ho was one
of the pioneers in this town. In those reminiscen-
ces, speaking of pioneer days, Mr. Sibley says,
"there were large patches of rushes both on flats and
uplands, along the river and the Honeoye Creek;
the locality was called ' Rush Bottom ' — thence the
name of the tow^n. Cattle would winter well and
thrive on the rushes; the Wadsworth's would send
large droves here to winter, and many were sent
from Lima, Bloomfield and Victor. The rushes
finally run out by being repeatedly fed down. "

17. Sweden. The town of Sweden w^as
formed from Murray, ( Orleans County ) April 2,
1813. The reasons for adopting this name are un-
certain, but the probabilitifes are that it came from
Sweden, the country of northern Europe. There
is a small place in Maine of that name, and it is
possible that some of the early settlers came from
Sweden, Maine, and gave the name to this town-
ship.

18. Webster. There are no less than thirty
towns, counties or villages bearing this name in the
United States, the greater part, if not all, named for

13

Daniel Webster, the great orator and statesman.
Webster, Monroe County, was formed from Pen-
field, February 6, 1840. At that time Daniel Web-
ster was a Senator from Massachusetts and at the
height of his influence and power. It was at about
this time that his party ( the Whigs ) had triumphed
in the elections; hence it was natural to give his
name to the new town.

19. Wheatland. Though last in order alpha-
betically this town is first in our affections. At the
time Monroe County was formed, February 23,
1821, our town was taken from Caledonia and
called " Inverness, " to please the Scotch settlers in
the western part of the town; but the residents in the
eastern end, ( largely New Englanders, Pennsylva-
nians, and eastern and central New Yorkers ) , had
influence enough to induce the Legislature to
change the name to Wheatland, in recognition of
the fertility of the soil and its adaptability to the
cultivation of wheat. This change of name was
made April 3, 1821. Although wheat is no longer
the one principal crop, it is still one of the princi-
pal crops, both as to quality and quantity, there
being few farms within the town without more or
less acreage of w^heat each year. In pioneer times
the country about w^hat is now^ Wheatland was
known to many of the early settlers as the " oak
openings." In I 797 all the territory in New York,

west of the Genesee River was organized as the
town of Northampton, Ontario County. In 1802,
that portion of Northampton which included
Wheatland became Southampton, Genesee County,
but in 1806, the name w^as changed to Caledonia.

Classifying the origin of the names of these nine-
teen towns, we find that there are derived from
Countries in Europe, two,-- Greece and Sw^eden;
from towns in Europe, three,— Brighton, Parma
and Riga; from a Country in South America, one,—
Chili; from towns in New England, two,— Mendon
and Pittsford; from a Revolutionary General, one,—
Gates; from American Statesmen, two,— Hamlin
and Webster; from pioneers or large land ow^ners,
four,-- Clarkson, Ogden, Penfield and Perinton;
from an English Countess, one,-- Henrietta; from
the Indian name of a bay, one,-- Irondequoit;
from the rushes growing on the banks of its
streams, one,— Rush; and from the character of its
soil and principal crop, one,— Wheatland.

This is certainly a wide and interesting range
from Sweden to Chile; from Riga in Russia and
Parma in Italy to Pittsford in Vermont and Mendon
in Massachusetts; from General Gates to Henrietta,
Countess of Bath; from Daniel Webster and Hanni-
bal Hamlin to an Indian named bay; from pioneers
to " Rush Bottoms;" and lastly to a beautifully
descriptive word. Wheat-land, which conveys to
the mind an idea of fertility, prosperity and plenty.

POST OFFICES.

On July 1, 1910, there were forty-five Post Offices
in Monroe County. They will be considered here
in alphabetical order.

1. Adams Basin, in Ogden, on the Erie Canal.
This name comes from a family of early settlers
named Adams, and from Basin, a w^idening or en-
largement tSf the canal at that point.

2. Barnard, in Greece, w^here the extension of
Dewey Avenue, Rochester, crosses the Charlotte
branches of the New York Central and Buffalo,
Rochester and Pittsburg Rail Roads. When the
Rochester- Charlotte branch of the N. Y. Central
was built it cut through a small place at this cross-
ing owned by the widow of Thomas Barnard; and
their son, Charlie Barnard, was the first flagman
there; — hence the name Barnard's Crossing. But
the Post Office Department being averse to long
or compound names, " crossing " was crossed out
some years ago and finally the possessive " s " was
eliminated, with Barnard as the result. Locally the
place was sometimes called " Pretty Girl's Cross-
ing. "

3. Bealsburg, in Chili, where the Buffalo,
Rochester and Pittsburg R. R. crosses the Paul
road. It was established April 24, 1886, and
named after B. D. Beal, a near by resident and a

former Supervisor of the town, who was active in
having the office estabHshed. The railroad station
at this crossing is called Maplewood.

4. Brighton. This office was named for the
town of Brighton and is now a sub-station in the
City of Rochester.

5. Brockport, an incorporated village in Swe-
den and on the Erie Canal, was named for Hiel
Brockway, a prominent early settler, and port, a
harbor or landing place.

6. Charlotte, an incorporated village on the
Genesee River where it empties into Lake Ontario,
in the town of Greece. Authorities differ as to the
origin of this name. The U. S. Government's Mono-
graph on place names, says it is from Charlotte
Augusta, Princess of Wales, ( born, 1 796; died,
181 7 ) daughter of George IV, King of England.
Mr. Willis K. Gillette, in an address before the
Rochester Historical Society in 1907, says it was
named for Charlotte Troup, daughter of Colonel
Robert Troup, who was at one time agent of the
Pulteney Estate. This latter derivation is believed
to be the correct one.

7. Chili. This office is in the town of Chili, at
the settlement known as " Chili Center, " and
derives its name from the town.

8. Chili Station derives its name from the
town of Chili, and from the fact that there is a

Station on the New York Central ,R. R. at this
point, where the railroad crosses the Braddocks
Bay road. The Station is named " Chili, " on the
N. Y. Central Time Table.

9. Churchville, an incorporated village in Riga,
was named for Samuel Church, a pioneer, whose
daughter was the first white child born in the tow^n.

10. Clarkson, on the " Ridge Road " in the
town of Clarkson, takes its nam^e from the town.

11. Claverhouse is a summer office in the
town cf Irondequoit, at the so-called " White City. "
in the winter the district covered by this office is
served from Charlotte. The name v^^as recommen-
ded by Colonel James S. Graham, when he w^as
Postmaster at Rochester, at the time the office was
established. Probably it was suggested by the fact
that Claverhouse was the ancestral estate of the
Grahames of Scotland in the time of John Grahame
of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee, w^ho was a
devoted adherent of the Stuarts.

12. Clifton is situated in the south w^est corner
of the town of Chili. A few years ago there were
tw^enty-four places in the U. S. nanned Clifton, as
w^ell as two in New^ Brunsw^ick and three in Eng-
land, to say nothing of several Clifton Villes,—
springs,- city,- dale,- forge,- park,- station, &c.
It is probable that all, or nearly all of these places

18

in the U. S. derive from some one of the English
Ciiftons, more especially from the watering place
and summer resort near Bristol, in Gloucestershire,
where there are some celebrated hot mineral
springs. Clifton, in Monroe County w^as formerly
called " Harmonsburg " and " Harmon's Mills,
from the mills and other enterprises of Anan Har-
mon, an extensive land owner there. The place
also had several nick names such as " Graball
and " Hardscrabble. " When the Post office at
South Chili was to be discontinued and an office
established at " Harmon's Mills, " about 1850, a
Mr. Alfred Mudge and Mr. Anan Harmon are said
to have proposed the name *' Clifton " for the new
office, and as the people and the Postal authorities
agreed in not wanting another place called Chili ;
and as the proposed name had a pleasant sound,
agreeable to the ear and to the tongue, it vv^as
accepted.

13. Cold Water is a Post office and also a
Station on the main line of the New^ York Central
Rail Road in the town of Gates. It was named by
the R. R. officials over half a century ago, on
account of the excellent cold water found there
and used for w^atering their engines.

14. East Rochester is a comparatively mod-
ern village, partly in Pittsford and partly in Perinton,
about seven miles from the center of Rochester
from which its name derives. It was first called

19

Despatch, " because the Merchants Despatch
Transportation Company located its car shops there.

15. Fairport, an incorporated village in Perin-
ton, on the Erie Canal, dates its origin as a village
from 1 822, when the canal was in process of build-
ing through the township. It became an important
place on the canal, but the details as to who gave
the name are not known. Presumably the name
w^as chosen because it was considered a fine " port. "

16. Forest Lawn is a summer resort on Lake
Ontario in the town of Webster, and is also a sta-
tion on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg
R. R. The name has no special significance.

17. Garbutt, a village in Wheatland, on Allan's
Creek, long known as Garbuttsville, derives its
name from the family who first settled there in
1804-5, namely, Zachariah Garbutt with his wife,
his three sons, John, William and Philip, and his
two daughters, Elizabeth and Phebe. A consider-
able number of their descendants, many of whom
bear the fainily name, live at or near the village.
The post office was established May 3, 1880.

18. Gates takes its name from the town in
which it is situated. It is V^ mile west of the Roch-
ester city line on the Lyell road.

19. Hamlin derives from the town of Hamlin.

20. Henrietta, until recently called East
Henrietta, obtains its name from the township in

20

which it is located, the word " East " having been
ehminated for the sake of brevity and simpHcity.
There is also a Station on the Lehigh Valley R. R.
called Henrietta.

21. Hilton, an incorporated village in Parma,
was known in early days as Unionville, and later,
until 1895, called North Parma. The present name
was given in honor of the Rev. Charles A. Hilton
who resided there at one time as pastor of the
Freewill Baptist Church.

22. Honeoye Falls is an incorporated village
in Mendon and was named from its situation at the
falls and water power on Honeoye Creek. It was
long known as Norton's Mills from the mills erected
there by Zebulon Norton, the pioneer settler in the
town of Mendon and the founder of the village
now called Honeoye Falls. Honeoye is derived
from an Indian word Ha-ye-a-yeh or On-agh-e and
means " a finger lying. " Dr. Beauchamp, in his
"Indian names in New^ York, " says " it was named
for a trivial incident, " but does not give the incident.

23. Industry. This post office is at the New
York State Industrial School in the town of Rush,
and takes its name from the school. There is a
station on the Erie Raiiw^ay at the same place also
called " Industry. " The station was first called
" Scottsville, " because, when the present Rochester
Division of the Erie Railway w^as built, it was the
nearest R. R. Station to that village. In 1903 the

21

name of the station was changed by the Erie Rail-
way officials to " Pixley, " in honor of Charles Hart
Pixley, who had been Station agent there for
nearly forty years. In 1908 the Erie officials again
changed the name to " O-at-ka " ( usually called
Oat-ka by the traveling public ) but this was a
great misnomer as Oatka Creek is actually on the
opposite side of the Genesee River and a mile
and a half away. The present name, " Industry,
given when the new Station house was built in
1909, is appropriate, as the station is near the
center of the New York State Industrial School.

24. Irondequoit is so named from the town in
which it is located.

25. Lincoln Park, in Gates, takes its name
from the near by station on the Buffalo, Rochester
and Pittsburg Rail road, just west of the Rochester
City line, at West avenue. The late Major D. D. S,
Brown, of Scottsviile, having purchased a consider-
able tract of land in Gates about 1872, not far from
the city line, named the tract for Lincoln Park in
Chicago, which he had seen and admired, and also
in admiration of Abraham Lincoln. Major Brown
offered to give a portion of his purchase to the
City of Rochester to be used as a park, but his
offer was not accepted. When the B. R. & P. R. R.
was opened in 1874, Major Brown being one of the
Directors of the road, had the privilege of naming

22

the newly established Station, which was near his
property, and he called it " Lincoln Park.

26. Mendon. This post office and also a rail-
way station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, in the
eastern part of the town of Mendon, are named for
the tow^n.

27. Mortimer is on the " Town Line Road "
between Brighton and Henrietta, near the point
where the West Shore R. R. crosses the Erie and
Lehigh Valley R. Rs. There is also a station of
the same name on both the last named Railroads.
The name comes from Mortimer F. Reynolds, a
well known Rochester man, now deceased, who
owned a farm near by.

28. Mumford, a village in Wheatland, was, ac-
cording to Mr. Geo. E. Slocum's History of Wheat-
land, first known as " Mc Kenzie's Corners, " from
the Mc Kenzie family who were early settlers there;
then, from the material of w^hich its first dwellings
were constructed, as " Slab City, " and later, from
one of its prominent and popular business men,
Mr, E. H. T. Mumford, as " Mumfordville; " still
later, at the suggestion of the officials of the Post
office Department, who were desirous of economiz-
ing in time, space and labor, the last syllable w^as
dropped and it has since been called by its present
cognomen, " Mumford. " A postoffice was estab-
lished there June 20, 1844. There is also a station
called " Mumford" on the B. R. & P. R. R.

23

29. North Chili, in the North West corner of
Chih is named from the to"wn.

30. North Greece is so named from its loca-
tion in the town of Greece.

31. North Rush. This Place has long been
known locally as " Harts' Corners " from the Hart
family, who were early settlers and large land own-
ers there. When the post office was established it
was named for its location in the town of Rush.

32. Penfield, on Irondequoit Creek in the South
West part of the town of Penfield, is named for the
town.

33. Pittsford is named for the town of Pittsford.
It is on the Canandaigua branch of the New York
Central and also on the West Shore Rail road.

34. Rochester, was named for Colonel Nathan-
iel Rochester.

35. Rochester Junction. This post office is in
the town of Mendon and is appropriately named
because it is at the junction of the main line of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad with its Rochester branch.

36. Rush. This is the largest village in the
town of the same name. It was formerly called
" East Rush " from its location in the town, but as
there was a " West Rush " and a " North Rush ' in
the town, the post office authorities eliminated the
word " East " for the sake of simplicity. It is on
the main line of the Lehigh Valley Rail road.

24

37. Scottsville, in Wheatland, was named for
Isaac Scott, who settled there in 1 790, and obtained
title to a large part of the land embraced in the
present Scottsville Fire District ; he built a log house
on the site of the Hon. I. W. Salyerd's residence,
and in 1800 or 1801 opened his cabin as a
tavern. The late Dr. Freeman Edson, who practised
his profession in Scottsville so many years, was
a nephew of Isaac Scott. The Rev. Hanford A.
Edson, D. D., a great nephew, and his children, are
the only relatives of Isaac Scott now living in the
village. The post office here was established on
May 20, 1820, with Dr. Freeman Edson as the first
Postmaster. There are stations at Scottsville on the
B. R. & P., and the Pennsylvania Railroads.

38. Sea Breeze is in Irondequoit at the junc-
tion of Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario. The
name has no significance so far as this locality is
concerned. There is a station thereon the R. W.
& O. R. R. also called " Sea Breeze. "

39. Spencerport is an incorporated village in
Ogden, on the Erie Canal and on the Niagara Falls
Branch of the N. Y. Central R. R. It was named
for Daniel Spencer, w^ho vv^as an early settler, and
w^as first called " Spencer's Basin. "

40. Union Hill is a small village in Webster.
About thirty-five years ago, the people in its vicinity
wishing to have a post office established there.

25

petitioned the P. O. Department at Washington to
name the office " Jonesville, " for a family named
Jones who kept a store at the place. As there was
already a P. O. in N. Y. State with that name, this
request was declined and the people then selected
the name " Union Hill, " because the place is on
the boundary line road between Webster, Monroe
County and Ontario, Wayne County, and also be-
cause it is at the top of a hill as one goes south
from the station on the R. W. & O. R. R., and this
name w^as accepted by the government.

41. Walker, in the tow^n of Hamlin, w^as origi-
nally " North Clarkson, " then " East Hamlin, " and
finally, to distinguish it from " Hamlin, " " North
Hamlin ' and " Hamlin Center, " the name was
changed to " Walker " in honor of the Rev. Will-
iam Walker, pastor of the Free Will Baptist Church
there.

42. Webster takes its name from the town of
Webster in which it is situated, as does the station
on the R. W. & O. R. R. there.

43. West Henrietta was so called from its
position in the town of Henrietta. There is a sta-
tion on the Erie Railway called " West Henrietta, "
n4 miles due west of the P. O. and village of that

name.

26

44. West Rush, situated in the western part of
the town of Rush, was so called to distinguish it
from " East Rush " ( now " Rush " ) . There is a
station on the Canandaigua - Batavia branch of the
N. Y. Central R. R. at West Rush, having the same
name as the village and the P. O.

45. West Webster, a village in the western
part of the town of that name, was named for its
situation.

Every [own in Monroe County, except Perinton,
has one or more villages, hamlets, railway stations
or post offices named after the town itself. The
following is a list of such places, the names printed
in heavy faced type being post offices which have
already been referred to under the heading " Post
Offices. "

Brighton and West Brighton.

Chili, Chill Center, ChiU Station, North Chili
and South Chili.

Clarkson.

Gates and Gates Center.

Greece Station, North Greece, South Greece
and West Greece.

HamHn, Hamlin Center, Hamlin Station and
North Hamlin.

Henrietta and West Henrietta.

Irondequoit.

27

Mendon and Mendon Center.

Ogden and Ogden Center.

Parma Center and Parma Corners.

Penfield, Penfield Center and East Penfield.

Pittsford.

Riga Center.

Rush, North Rush and West Rush*

Sweden Center and West Sweden.

Webster and West Webster.

Wheatland and Wheatland Center.

The greater number of the above require ho special
mention. " South Chili " however, was long known
as the ■' Checker " or " Checkered Tavern, " and
is still called by that name by the older residents
in its vicinity. It was so called from the tavern
located there for many years, but no longer m
existence, which was painted outside in a dark
and light checkerboard style, the squares running
diagonally across the front and ends of the building.

There is a small village called *' Gates Center,"
and also known as " Gates, " though distinct from
the post office of that name, near the center of the
town on the Buffalo Road.

" North Greece" is known locally as "Jenkins
Corners " or " Jinks. "

" South Greece " has been called " Henpeck. "

" West Greece " has often been called " Hoosic
Hill. " It is said that old Doctor Bradley, as he

28

passed by on his rounds, would be accosted by his
neighbors, putting their heads out of their windows,
and calling out, - " Who's Sick, Doctor, Who's
Sick. ? "

" Ogden " was long known as " Tow^n Pump, "
from the pump and watering trough there, a num-
ber of the early settlers having combined forces to
dig a well for their common use and for the benefit
of travelers. The pump no longer exists but the
name lingers among the older people in the town
of Ogden.

" Wheatland Center," so called because it is near
the center of the town, has been known locally as
" Hall's Corners " from Deacon Clark Hall. From
1826 to 1858 there was a post office at this place
called " Wheatland " and Deacon Hall was the post-
master for 21 years after its establishment. There
is a station on the B. R. & P. R. R. called " Wheat-
land, " about % mile south of " Wheatland Center "
on the " Wheatland Center Road. " At the point
where the " Wheatland Center Road " crosses
Allan's Creek there is a hamlet called " Smith's
Mills, " from the flouring mill of the late Hiram
Smith which was locate,d there.

Nearly every tow^n in Monroe County has one or
more " corners " named for some family no\v living
at the cross roads or formerly living there. At some
of these " corners " there is a small settlement,

29

with perhaps a church or store or blacksmith's
shop, while at others there may be only one or two
houses. Among them are Edmund's Corners in
Brighton; Buckbee's Corners in Chili ; Redmon
Corners in Clarkson; Hayes Corners, Lord's Corners,
Parker's Corners and Black and White Corners in
Mendon ; Bartlett's Comers and Burritt's Corners in
Parma ; Sweet's Corners in Penfield ; Hallock's
Corners and Mann's Corners in Rush ; Comstock s
Corners and Reed's Corners in Sweden ; and Mill-
er's Corners in Wheatland. To go into details
concerning each one of these family names would
too greatly lengthen this paper. But Black and
White Corners, however, deserves especial men-
tion. Its name arose from the fact that in an early
day Mr. Walter White owned a farm on one of the
corners, while a black man named Varnum owned
land on another corner, hence - " Black and White
Corners. "

During the past fifty years a considerable number
of summer villages or " resorts " have sprung up
along the shore of Lake Ontario and Irondequoit
Bay. Among these resorts, aside from those already
mentioned under Postoffices, there are, to the East
of the Genesee R.iver, in Webster and on Lake
Ontario, -- Locust Grove and Forest Lawn; and
in Irondequoit, on Lake Ontario, — The Highlands,
Lake Cove, White City, Windsor Beach and Sum-
merville; also in Irondequoit, on the Bay, — Point

30

Pleasant, Birds and Worms, Newport, Point Lookout
and Glen Haven. To the west of the Genesee,
on Lake Ontario, there are in Greece, -- Ontario
Beach, Crescent Beach, Grand View Beach, and
Manitou Beach; and in Hamlin, -- Greenwood
Beach, Sunnyside Beach, Beachwood Park and
Troutberg.

Nearly all of these are fancy names, having no
local significance, given apparently to look w^ell in
print and sound well in the advertisements, and
need not be considered further in this paper, ex-
cept to say that " White City " was so called be-
cause of the fact that it consisted of many white
tents or of structures composed wholly or in part of
canvas. " Manitou," the name given to one of
these " Beaches " is an Indian word and means
" a Spirit, " but that w^as not the original name of
the locality.

Continuing the list of villages, hamlets, and rail-
way stations, we have, in alphabetical order, the
following, not post offices nor names of towns in
which they are situated.

Ada. This place is in Greece and w^as formerly
called " Greece, " but on account of there being a
station called " Greece " on the Rome, Watertow^n
and Ogdensburg R. R., considerable confusion
resulted, and the P. O. Department adopted the

31

name " Ada, " because, ( it is said, ) that Mr. W. H.
Anderson, who was postmaster at the time the
change was made, had formerly lived in Ada,
Michigan. The P. O. however, was discontinued
about the time the Rural Free Delivery system w^as
inaugurated, and now the name " Ada " is falling
into disuse.

Allen's Creek, in Brighton, on the extension of
East Avenue ( Rochester ) is a small hamlet taking
its name from the creek of the same name which

flows through it.

»

Belcoda is a small settlement in Wheatland,
where there are a few houses, a district school
and a well kept cemetery, and where there was
once a flourishing Baptist Church. Its name is
unique. There is no other place of the same name
in the United States, nor, I believe in the world; it
is not found in the Century Atlas nor in the Post
Office Directory. The word " Belcoda " does not
occur in the English, French, Spanish, German,
Latin or Greek languages. After numerous inqui-
ries and the searching of many histories, geogra-
phies, gazetteers and dictionaries, I learn from Mr.
Eugene E. Harmon, who lives near the place, that
the w^ord was a purely fanciful invention of his
fathers', ( Mr. Ira Harmon, ) given early in the last
century, and has no meaning.

Mr. Willard S. Hosmer, a near by resident gives
the following traditional account of the origin of

32

the name :— there was an " odd genius ' named
Eleazer Calkins, who lived at or near the settlement,
an illiterate character, and he was among the men
w^ho w^ere assisting to raise the frame of the first
church building there, about the year 1820. When
it came time to raise the belfry, Calkins called out.
Come on now^ boys, here's the " belcody ! " and
this misuse of the word " belcody " for " belfry "
stuck to the church and the place, and ever since
the latter has been called " Belcoda. "

Judge Selden S. Brown gives another tradition
concerning the w^ord, w^hich is, that a certain minis-
ter of the gospel who conducted services there in
pioneer times, falling in love w^ith one of the young
ladies of the vicinity. Miss Belle Cody, gave her
name to the locality.

Beulah. This place consists of a few houses, a
district school and a United Presbyterian Church,
and is situated in the w^estern part of Wheatland,
2^ 2 miles from Belcoda. When the church w^as
dedicated in 1851, Captain Thomas Faulkner, one
of the principal men in the community, named it

Beulah Church " and the settlement became
known as " Beulah. " There is a story current in
Wheatland, that on the day the church was to be
named Captain Faulkner, taking a Bible, opened it
and placed a finger upon a verse, with the under-
standing that whatever name w^as mentioned in the

33

verse should be given to the church; the verse thus
selected was Isaiah 64th chapter and 4th verse, in
which the word Beulah occurs. The word means
married, " in Hebrew, and was used by the
Prophet Isaiah to indicate the intimate relations of
the Jewish Church to God. Quite unlike the neigh-
boring hamlet of Belcoda, there are many places
named Beulah. In 1900 there were no less than
22 places in the U. S. bearing this scriptural nerre.

Brookdale, in Chili, is a flag station on the B. R.
& P. R. R. and was named for the Lyman Brooks
family. There was for a short time, some years
ago, a postoffice there called " Brookmere.

Bushnell's Basin, in Perinton, on the Erie Canal,
got its name from the firm of Bushnell, Lyman
Wilmarth & Co., who did a large mercantile and
forwarding business there for many years, about
1830, and later.

Cartersville, a small settlement of about ten
houses in Pittsford on the Erie Canal, was named
for Roswell Carter, w^ho formerly had a warehouse
on a " slip " of the old canal at that place, and it
became known first as " Carter's Basin, " and later
as " Cartersville.

Carthage was a flourishing settlement at the
lower falls of the Genesee River early in the last
century, but it has long been absorbed by the city
of Rochester. Its name was derived, directly or

34

indirectly, from the ancient African city of Carth-
age. In the Phoenician language the name meant
New Town, and perhaps this accounts for the name
being given by some classical scholar among the
early settlers.

Cedar Swamp is a station on the Lehigh Valley
Railroad in Henrietta, and gets its name from a
cedar swamp existing at this point.

Center Park is a station on the main line of the
N. Y. Central R. R. in Rochester, and was named
for a small park of that name.

Collamer, is a station on the R. W. & O. R. R.
in Parma, derives from John B. Collamer, through
w^hose farm the R. R. passed at this point.

Edgewood, a station on the west Shore R. R, in
Henrietta, derived from its situation near a piece of
wood land.

Egypt is a small village in Perinton. There
were in 1900, some 14 places in the U. S. named
for this ancient country in Africa. This place is
said to have obtained its name from the circum-
stance that in pioneer times. Deacon Ramsdell and
Cyrus Parker had an excellent crop of corn and
other grains one year w^hen the average crop in the
surrounding country w^as poor. 1 he news of their
success spread abroad in the community and many
of their fellow^ pioneers came from near and

35

far to buy corn of them; hence the place became
known as " Egypt " and has retained the name to
this day.

Elm Place, a station on the Erie Railway in
Rush was so named because it was established on
the farm and near the home of Mr. William G.
Markham, whose property bore the name of " Elm
Place. "

Five Points is a hamlet in Rush, where two
highways cross and a third ends at their intersec-
tion, thus making five corners or " points,

Garland, a hamlet in Clarkson, was first known
as " Ladd's Corners, " from James Ladd, an early
storekeeper there, and w^as afterwards called " East
Clarkson " which name it retained until the post
office established there was discontinued. In the
early nineties, the office w^as re-established as

Garland, " but why this name w^as chosen is fin-
certain. It appears to have no significance.

Genesee Junction, in Chili, is a station at the
intersection of the West Shore and Pennsylvania
R. R. s, and is presumably so named on account of
its situation near the Genesee River.

Golah in Rush, is at the intersection of the
Canandaigua - Batavia branch of the New York
Central and the Rochester - Avon branch of the
Erie Railways, and is within a fev/ rods of where

36

Honeoye Creek enters the Genesee River. The
station was first called " Genesee Valley Junction,
from the fact that this branch of the Erie when
built was called the " Genesee Valley Railroad. "
Later on the name was changed by the R. R. Offi-
cials to " Rush Junction. " But as Rush, West
Rush and Rush Junction were so near together,
considerable trouble occurred with passengers, and
w^ith freight and express deliveries. Hence a new
name was desired by the officials of both the inter-
secting Railways, The Rev. H. W. Howard, of the
M. E. Church in Rush then proposed the name of
Geneoye, " a combination of Gen-esee clnd
Hon-eoye, but this w^as considered too cumbersome
by the Railway authorities. Mr. Howard then
manufactured the word " Golah " taking letters
from the names of five families residing in the
neighborhood, thus:- G-reene
R-O-tzel
Stul-L
Ch-A-pman

H-amilton and this name
w^as accepted by both the railroads interested.

Hanford's Landing, on the west side of the
Genesee River, below the low^er falls, and at the
head of navigation on the river, was formerly in
Greece, but is now incorporated in the city of
Rochester. It was first known as " King's Landing "

37

from Gideon King, but the name gradually changed
to " Hanford's Landing" about 1810, when
Frederic and Abraham Hanford with five brothers
and two sisters came there, bought property, opened
a store, built a hotel and did a general merchandise
and forwarding business between the Genesee
Country and other lake ports and Canada. The place
has been entirely abandoned how^ever for some
years.

Hinkleyville, a small settlement in Parma, de-
rives its name from a local family of prominence
named Hinkley.

Kendall Mills, a village on Sandy Creek, partly
in Hamlin, Monroe County, and partly in Kendall,
Orleans County, derives its name from the town-
ship of Kendall, and from the mills located there.
Kendall was named for the Hon. Amos Kendall,
who was once Postmaster General of the U. S.

Lehigh is a flag station on the Erie Railway in
Rush, and is so named because that road crosses
the Lehigh Valley R. R. at this point.

Maplewood, a station on the B. R. & P. R. R. in
Chili, was so called from a grove of maples near
by. There is a post office at this place called
Bealsburg.

Morton. This village, like Kendall Mills, is situ-
ated on the " County Line Road " and is partly in
Hamlin, Monroe County and partly in Kendall,

38

Orleans County. It was formerly called East Ken-
dall, and is a station on the R. W. & O. R. R.
Owing to the confusion arising from the fact that
there were places called Kendall, Kendall Mills
and West Kendall in the vicinity, a change of
name was desired and the people of the village
were asked to choose a new one. After consider-
able discussion, the name " Morton, " for the Hon.
Levi P. Morton, Governor of New York State, was
agreed upon and adopted.

Number Six Corners, a hamlet in Rush, is so
called because Number Six District School is located
there.

Otis, a station on the Charlotte Branch of the
New York Central R. R., in Rochester, but former-
ly in Gates, was named for Major General Elwell S.
Otis, U. S. Army, and for the Otis family who for-
merly owned the land upon which the staticn was
built.

Ponds. This was a summer post office en the
trolley line from Charlotte to Manitou Beach, but
was discontinued in 1908. It was named on ac-
count of the several ponds along the line of the
trolley.

Red Creek was a station, in Brighton, on the
West Shore R. R. where it crosses the Erie and
Lehigh Valley roads and was named for Red Creek
which flows just west of the station. Of late years,

39

however, the name has been changed by the rail-
way officials to " Mortimer. "

Ridgeland, a station on the West Shore R. R.
in Henrietta, is said to be derived from a ridge of
land nearby.

Roseland, in Penfield, is a hamlet on the Tract
Road. The name has no especial significance.

Severance, a flag station on the Pennsylvania R.
R., in Chili took the name from Horace and Homer
Severance, who ow^ned farms near by when the
station w^as established.

Sibleyville, in Mendon, once a place of consider-
able importance, was named for Benjamin Sibley
and his sons Samuel and Hiram Sibley, who built a
saw^ mill, carding mill and grist mill, and manufac-
tured agricultural implements there. In 1826 and
for about 20 years afterwards, Hiram and Samuel
Sibley, in partnership with D. A. Watson, carried
on an extensive business there, employing as many
as 80 men.

State Fish Ponds, or Fish Ponds, is the name
of a station in Mumford, in the town of Wheatland,
on the B. R. & P. R. R., very near the Caledonia,
Livingston County Line. It was so named for its
proximity to the New York State Fish Hatchery, on
Spring Creek.

Twelve Corners is the name of a little village

40

in Brighton where three highways cross leaving
a small triangle at their intersection, and thus
making just a dozen corners.

Whites is a flag station on the Pennsylvania R.
R., in Chili. It was named for the James White
family who owned a farm near the station when it
was established.

NATURAL FEATURES.

RIVER, LAKE AND BAY.

The Genesee River, with its falls and water
power, its tributary streams, and its varied scenery
may be considered the most important of the natu-
ral features of Monroe County. The name is de-
rived from an Indian word, Che-nus-si-o, and means
" shining " or " beautiful valley. "

Lake Ontario, is next in importance. Ontario is
an Indian name. Father Hennepin, the early
French explorer, in his " A New Discovery of a
Vast Country in America, " twice mentions its
meaning; in one place he says " The great River of
St. Lawrence derives its source frcm the Lake On-
tario, which ie likewise called in the Iroquese Lan-
guage, Skanadario; that is to say, a very pretty
lake. " In another place in his narrative Hennepin
says " The great River of St. Lawrence, which I
have often mentioned, runs through the middle of

41

the Country of the Iroquese, and makes a great
Lake there which they call Ontario, viz. the beau-
tiful Lake," According to Hennepin the French
called it " Lake Frontenac, from the illustrious Count
de Frontenac, Governour- General of Canada. "
Horatio Hale, the ethnologist, in his '* Iroquois
Book of Rites ' expresses the belief that the
original signification of Ontario was " great lake. "
It had other names, also, such as " o-hu-de-a-ra,
given by the Senecas, and in 1615 Champlain
termed it the lake of the" En-ton-ho-no-rons. " But
Ontario is the name which has been preserved. One
w^riter on Indian names says that the word Ontario
means " beautiful prospect of rocks, hills and water.

Irondequoit Bay is the largest and finest body
of water entirely within the County of Monroe.
As already mentioned under the town of that name,
the word means, in the Indian language, a bay.
Lewis H. Morgan gives it as if spelled *' Neo-da-on-
da-quat. " A great variety of ways of spelling and
pronouncing the word, is found among the early
writers on the discovery, settlement and history of
the region in which this bay is situated.

CREEKS.

A considerable number of small rivers or creeks
are found in Monroe County, some of them so
small as to have no names. Among them are the
following:--

42

Allan's Creek or Oatka Creek, enters the
Genesee River in Wheatland, but rises in Wyoming
County and flows through Genesee County before
entering Monroe. The name by which it has been
most commonly know^n, Allan's Creek, derives from
Ebenezer ( or " Indian " ) Allan, a remarkable char-
acter, a tory during the Revolutionary War, a man
of many wives and a bad reputation, but of great
enterprise and energy, w^ho settled near the mouth
of this creek on a small elevation above the sur-
rounding " flats, " on its left or north bank about
1 785-6. He obtained a large tract of land from
Oliver Phelps for his services in connection w^ith
obtaining a session of land from the Indians, and
sold it to Peter Sheffer and his two sons in 1 789.
The correct spelling of his name is Allan, not
Allen. Of late years the use of the Indian name
for this stream, ( O-at-ka, ) has become more com-
mon; it means " the opening. " The knoll where
Allan settled is now^ a part of the Thomas Brown
estate.

Allen's Creek is a small tributary of Irondequoit
Creek, entering it from the S. W., in Penfield, but
flowing mostly through Henrietta and Brighton. It
was named after two brothers named Allen, who
resided along its banks in Brighton. The correct
spelling of this east side stream is AJlen, while, as
already stated, the west side stream, the O-at-ka,
is Allan's Creek.

43

Black Creek and Little Black Creek, both
enter the Genesee in ChiH; and both are named for
the dark color of their waters, which, especially at
their mouths, contrasts decidedly with the yellowish
muddy color of the river. The Indian name for
Black Creek was Chek-a-nan-go, according to some
authorities, and Ja-go-o-geh, according to others.

Buttonwood Creek flows through Parma and
Greece and empties into Braddocks Bay. It is said
to have been given the name from the many
buttonwood trees formerly growing along its banks.

East Creek and West Creek are two very small
streams wholly in Webster, flowing into Lake On-
tario, less than half a mile apart. These names
w^ere given simply to indicate their relative posi-
tions.

Four Mile Creek, which empties into Lake
Ontario, at Nine Mile Point, in Webster, obtained
its name on account of its length as it is approxi-
mately four miles from its source to its mouth.

Honeoye Creek is the outlet of Honeoye Lake,
in Ontario County and after flowing through On-
tario and Livingston Counties, and through Men-
don and Rush in Monroe County enters the Gen-
esee River in Rush. As already stated under
" Honeoye Falls " its name is derived from an
Indian word, " Ha-ye-a-yeh, " and means '* a finger
lying. "

44

Irondequoit Creek takes its name from Ironde-
quoit Bay, into which it flows by two mouths, at
the head of the bay, partly in Penfield and partly
in Irondequoit.

Larkin Creek is one of the branches of a small
stream flowing into Buck Pond in Greece. Its name
comes from the fact of its flowing through a farm
belonging to a family named Larkin.

Mill C^eek, a small stream in Webster, flowing
into Lake Ontario, was so named because a saw-
mill w^as built on it many years ago.

Mill Creek, the outlet of " Blue Pond " in
Wheatland enters Black Creek in Chili, and was so
named on account of the mills located on it at
CHfton.

Northrup Creek, a small stream flowing into
Long Pond in Greece, derives its name from a fam-
ily named Northrup, through whose properly it
flows.

Red Creek which enters the Genesee River
from the east above the " Rapids " at Rochester
w^as so called on account of the reddish color of its
v^aters at certain seasons.

Salmon Creek, which enters Braddock's Bay in
Greece derives from the fresh w^ater fish of that
name. The Indian name for this stream was " Go-
do-ke-na " meaning " place of minnows. "

45

Sandy Creek, flowing into Lake Ontario in
Hamlin, derives its name from the character of its
shores or bottom. The Indians called it " O- neh-
chi-geh " meaning " long ago.

Spring Creek, a short but remarkable stream
rising in the " Big Springs " at Caledonia, in Living-
ston County, enters Allan's Creek ( the " Oatka " )
at Mumford, in Wheatland. Its name comes from
its source. The Indians called it " Na-ga-noose,
meaning " clear running water. ' It is the natural
home of the speckled brook trout, and the State of
New York has a Fish Hatchery on its banks, a few
rods south of Mumford village.

Tennison Creek, flowing into Buck Pond in
Greece, takes its name from a family named Ten-
nison through whose property it flow^s.

West Creek, flowing through Clarkson, Hamlin
and Parma enters Salmon Creek in Greece. It was
named because it was the Western branch or tribu-
tary of Salmon Creek.

PONDS.

In the town of Greece there is a series of six bays
or ponds each with an outlet into Lake Ontario,
and named as follows, taking them in order from
west to east:--

Braddock or Braddock's Bay. This name is de-
rived from General John Prideaux, a British Soldier

46

of established reputation, who, in 1 759, was put in
command of a force of about 2200 regular and
provincial troops and nearly 1000 Indians, with Sir
William Johnson as second in command to proceed
to attack the French at Fort Niagara. This force left
Oswego, July 1, I 759, and on the way to the mouth
of the Niagara River, encamped for one night at
Irondequoit Bay and for another at the Bay to which
the name of the commaiider was given, Prideaux
Bay. While besieging Fort Niagara, General Prid-
eaux was killed on July 19, 1 759, by the bursting of
a shell carelessly discharged from a cohorn by one
of his own gunners. Sir William Johnson then took
command of the expedition and soon after, the
Fort was surrendered by the French. In a sketch
of the History of Monroe County by the late Wm.
F. Peck, he says, speaking of Braddock Bay, " the
name assumed its present form by starting with a
barbarous mispronunciation of its original ( Prid-
eaux, ) and thence a popular error connected with
the unfortunate British General Braddock. There
w^as, how^ever, at least one intermediate style, for a
map in a little book published in Albany in I 798,
puts it down as Braddoe Bay. " Mr. Peck's ac-
count of the name is borne out by the fact that
Turner, in his " History of the Phelps and Gorham's
Purchase " several times refers to it as " Prideaux ,

47

or Braddock's Bay. " In Mather & Brocketts " Geo-
graphical History of New York " it is called " Brad-
dock's or Bradlow's Bay. " This corruption of the
name Prideaux has caused much confusion to local
geographers and historians.

There is a story current in the neighborhood of
the bay, that a certain Captain Braddock, a " high-
sea pirate, " being hard pressed by a pursuing ves-
sel, took refuge in this bay, and on his death bed
confessed that he had buried all his treasure under a
beech tree on the shore of the bay. It is said that
some of the old settlers can remember the time
when the ground around every tree of any size on
or near the bay had been dug into by searchers
for Captain Braddock's pirate treasure.

The first road recorded as built in Monroe
County, w^as from Braddock's Bay to the distillery
of Stephen Peabody on the Genesee River, a short
distance below Peter Sheffer's, -- now the Thomas
Brown estate, in Wheatland.

Cranberry Pond. The origin of this name is
uncertain, but it probably arose from the cran-
berries growing there in early days.

Long Pond w^as so called from its shape, being
the longest of these six ponds.

Buck Pond. This name is of uncertain origin,
but it came presumably from the bucks once
numerous on its shores.

48

Round Pond and

Little Round Pond obtain their names from
their shape and relative size.

Blue Pond, in Wheatland, is a small body of
water once famed as the home of numerous speck-
led trout; it was named on account of its beautiful,
blue color when viewed from a distance with a
favorable combination of sun and shade. It is
drained through Mill Creek into Bl^ck Creek.

Mendon Ponds. In Mendon there is a group of
four interesting ponds, draining into Irondiquoit
Creek, each named for some characteristic feature,
namely:— " 100 Acre Pond," "Deep Pond,"
" Round Pond, " and " Mud Pond, " in the order
given, from north to south. The vicinity of these
ponds is a famous place for botanizing and plants
are found there which do not grow elsewhere in
this section of Western New York except in Bergen
Swamp.

HEADLANDS.

On the Shore of Lake Ontario, in Monroe County
there are several " Points " or " Headlands " of
which the following are the most prominent, taking
them in order from east to west :

Nine Mile Point in Webster, is approximately
nine miles east of the mouth of the Genesee River,
and thus gets its name.

49

Braddock Point. This name derives from Brad-
dock Bay. The name of " Manitou Beach " has
been given to it of recent years, since a hotel and
summer resort have been established there. It is
in the town of Greece.

" Braddock Point Light. " Some 2H miles
west-north-west of Braddock Point ( or Manitou
Beach, ) in Parma, there is a fine lofty Light House
with a powerful light. The official name for it is

Braddock Point Light. " When congress appro-
priated money to establish this aid to navigation, it
was for a light at Braddock Point; but it was found
by the Light House Board that a light placed there
v^ould be of much less value to lake navigators,
than it would be if placed farther west on the shore.
Accordingly the tower and keeper's dwelling were
built in their present location, and the name " Brad-
dock Point Light " was given to it, because the
money had been specifically voted for a new light
on the point of that name, though the real Brad-
dock Point is actually 2% miles east-south-east of
the Light House.

Devil's Nose. This is a prominent bluff in the
town of Hamlin, about 60 or 70 feet high and the
highest point any where on the South Shore of
Lake Ontario. Who gave this name and why, are
questions I have been unable to solve. Perhaps
some early lake navigator found in its shape a

50

fancied resemblance to his Satanic Majesty's nasal
organ. In the Century Atlas, edition of 1900, there
is a list of 27 different places, mountains, lakes,
creeks, &c., named after the Devil, showing him to
be one of the most popular characters in history or
geography. Some dangerous rocks extend into the
lake from the bluff, making navigation dangerous
there, and this fact may have given rise to the
name.

It would be of interest to continue this paper and
discuss the origin of the names of the many hills in
Monroe County ( " drumlins " as Prof. Fairchild,
the Geologist, would call them ) and also to search
out the meanings of the names of our country
highways and city and village streets, but to do so
w^ould unduly lengthen a paper already too long.

In conlusion, it is interesting to note how few of
all the names mentioned in this paper, are of
Indian origin; only the Genesee River; Lake On-
tario; Irondequoit Bay, Tov/n, Creek and Post
Office; Honeoye Creek and Honeoye Falls; and
Oatka Creek; that is, only nine places in Monroe
County, out of nearly two hundred, retain^ the
names given them by our Indian predecessors.

51

INDEX.

Ada

30

Buckbee's Corners

29

Adams Basin

15

Buck Pond

47

Allan's Creek

42

Burritt's Corners

29

Allen's Creek 31,

42

Bushnells Basin

33

Buttonwood Cree

k

43

Barnard

15

Bardett's Corners

29

Cartersville

33

Bays

45

Carthage

33

Beachwood Park

30

Cedar Swamp

34

Bealsburg

15

Center Park

34

Belcoda

31

Charlotte

16

Beulah

32

" Checkered Tavern'

'27

" Big Springs "

45

Chili 6,

16

26

Birds and Worms

30

Chili Center

26

Black and White

Chili Station

16

26

Corners

29

Churchville

17

Black Creek

43

Clarkson 7,

17

26

Blue Pond

48

Claverhouse

17

Braddock's Bay 45

46

Clifton

17

Braddock Point

49

Coldwater

18

Braddock Point

Collamer

34

Light

49

Comstock's Corners

29

Brighton 6, 1 6

26

Cranberry Pond

47

Brockport
Brookdale

16

33

Creeks
Crescent Beach

41
30

Brookmere

33

Devil's Nose

49

52

East Clarkson

35

Greece

8

East Creek

43

Greece Station

26

East Henrietta

19

Greenwood Beach

30

East Kendall

38

Hallock's Corners

29

East Penfield

27

Hall's Corners
Hamlin 8, 19

28
26

East Rochester

18

East Rush

23

Hamlin Center

26

Edgewood
Edmund's Corners

34
29

Hamlin Station

26

Hanford's Landing

36

Egypt
Elm Place

34
35

Hayes' Corners
Headlands

29
48

Fairpt)rt

19

Henpeck

27

Fish Ponds

39

Henrietta 8, 19

26

Five Points

35

Highlands, The

29

Forest Lawn 19

29

Hilton

20

Four Mile Creek

43

Hinkleyville

37

Honeoye Creek

43

Garbutt

19

Honeoye Falls

20

Garland

35

" Hoosic Hill "

27

Gates 7, 19

26

Gates Center

26

Industry

20

Irondequoit 8, 21

26

Genesee Junction

35

Genesee River

40

Irondequoit Bay

41

_

Irondequoit Creek

44

Genesee Valley

Junction

36

Jenkin's Corners

27

Glen Haven

30

Kendall Mills

37

Golah

35

Grand View Beach

30

Ladd's Corners

35

53

Lake Cove

29

North Hamlin

26

Lake Ontario

40

North Rush

23,27

Larkin Creek

44

Northrup Creek

44

Lehigh

37

Number Six Corners 38

Lincoln Park

21

'^ 1

Little Black Creek

43

Oatka

21

Little Round Pond 48 |

Oatka Creek

^ 42

Locust Grove

29

Ogden

9, 27

Long Pond

47

Ogden Center

27
30

Lord's Corners

29

Ontario Beach

Ontario, Lake

40

Manitou Beach

30

Otis

38

Mann's Corners

29

Maplewood

37

Parker's Corners

29

Mendon 9,

22,27

Parma

10

Mendon Center

27

Parma Center

27

Mendon Ponds

48

Parma Corners

27

Mill Creek

44

Penfield 10,

23,27

Miller's Corners

29

Penfield Center

27

Monroe County

5

Perinton

10,26

Mortimer

22

Pittsford 10

23.27

Morton

37

Pixley

21

Mumford

22

Point Lookout

30

Point Pleasant

29

Natural Features

40

Ponds

38,45

Newport

30

Post Offices

15

Nine Mile Point

48

Prideaux Bay

45,46

North Chili

23, 26

North Greece

23,26

Red Creek

38. 44

54

Redmon Corners

29

Sweet's Corners

29

Reed's Corners

29

Ridgeland

39

Tennison Creek

45

Riga

11

Town Pump

28

Riga Center

27

Towns

6

River, Genesee

40

Troutberg

30

Rochester 6

23

Twelve Corners

39

Rochester Junction

23

Union Hill

24

Roseland

39

Round Pond

48

Villages, not Post

Rush 11,23

27

Offices

30

Rush Junction

36

Walker

25

Salmon Creek

44

Webster 12,

25,

27

Sandy Creek

45

West Brighton

26

Scottsville 20

24

West Creek

43,

45

Sea Breeze

24

West Greece

26

Severance

39

West Henrietta

25.

26

Sibleyville

39

West Rush

26,

27

Smith's Mills

28

West Sweden

27

South Chili

26

West Webster

26

27

South Greece

26

Wheadand

13,

27

Spencerport

24

Wheadand Center

27

Spring Creek

45

White City

29

30

State Fish Ponds

39

Whites

40

Summerville

29

Windsor Beach

29

Sunnyside Beach

30

Sweden

12

Sweden Center

27

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